Birthday Celebrations at Ponsbourne Pods, Hertford

This weekend, after a hectic but amazing week at Center Parcs, we rounded off the birthday celebrations with a fabulous meal at the Ponsbourne Pods - part of the 1876 Bar and Restaurant in Hertford (near Cuffley/Potters Bar). A 30 minute country drive from home and a sunny day, we knew we were in for a real treat. Sometimes these sort of ‘insta-worthy’ dining establishments can be more style than substance (ahem, we all know the types). So were the Ponsbourne Pods all they are hyped up to be?

THE PODS
The pods themselves are really quite delightful. Intimate and comfortable, they are well set out and spacious enough. They are with heating for the winter, lighting for evenings and a door in case of cold. There is a bell for when you require service.

A really sweet touch was the Happy Birthday light board they had put inside the pod. It really made me feel like it was a celebration (alongside the BEAUT balloon my brother had bought along!).

There are some really great areas within 1876 Pods and Restaurants to sit and enjoy both food and drinks.

The inside bar is quirky. Outside, there are some really cute bench style swings (with tables) at the bottom of the restaurant that you can have drinks at and enjoy the view. Inside, there is also a restaurant set in quite a grand room.

Our pod was to seat 6-8 people. There are only two pods within the restaurant that can accommodate highchairs (seating 12), so I took a portable one and connected it to the table. I would not recommend seating more than six people in this particular pod.

We were well spaced out and I would say 8 people would make this experience a little too ‘snug’ for my liking. With the high chair and a child, the space is definitely important!

Secondly, on a hot day, the pods will get HOT. In future, they may want to put some sort of air-con, but of course, there is no expectation on this as it is an outdoor pod. My suggestion would be to ask for a pod near the door or in the shade when booking.

We in fact changed pods on arrival to avoid the heat! I can however totally see how this place would be super beaut in the winter and at night!

AMBIENCE AND SETTING 9/10

FOOD
The food was a welcome surprise! Admittedly, I had booked this place for the experience, but I had been told the food was fabulous and it did not disappoint. It was so well presented!

We ordered 6 starters, 3 main courses and condiments between five people plus chips for the toddler. Many a time at restaurants like this the ‘chilli’ dishes aka chilli paneer and/or chilli mushrooms/chilli chips tend to be in the same sauce, so we opted for the chilli mushrooms (our favourite dish!) and the paneer tikka (instead of the chilli paneer) which were both delicious. We also opted for the meat platter (good, best part was the fish tikka) and the king prawn grill (excellent, good portion!) . The food was not too spicy so worked for all tastes. I would, if I was being pedantic, reduce the amount of flour used in the marinade by a small amount.

Lastly we ordered the fried salt and pepper veg (I am not a vegetarian so I would likely skip, although my mum loved!) and the harra barra kebabs. Again they were delicious, but did come out super quick, so I think they may have been fried earlier and heated in the oven.

The poppadoms were a nice touch (you do have to pay for these so possibly I would include if I was the restaurant manager!) and they came with three sauces. They of course kept the toddler busy!

For mains, we opted for the Daal makhni, Bhindi, Lamb curry, Garlic/butter naan and rice. Only two of us had desert (of course I did), I LOVED the gulab jamun with ice cream (good size portion) and my hubby had the pistachio kulfi. FOOD 8/10

The drinks, were ok - a little trial and error. The lychee martini and the strawberry mojitos were both a little weak but the Kir Royale was fab (so I would suggest maybe sticking to beers, wine, cider, champagne style drinks, typical - gin and tonic style drinks). The coffees were also good. DRINKS 7/10

PRICE
Between 5 adults we spent £290 (including service and drinks). Yes a little on the steep side, but worth it for a date night or occasion.

For a table of 4-6 in the pods, there is a minimum spend of £100 which I think is totally fair and reasonable. OVERALL PRICE 7.5/10

DRESS CODE
You can get as dressed up (or not) as you like, but most people were dressed up for an occasion. Of course this also makes for good pictures but as the restaurant is part of a hotel, I would say it is good etiquette to arrive dressed well. I wore jeans, but did dress my outfit up with a pair of heels which I thought was more than suffice.

HOW TO BOOK
The pods don’t seem to be taking bookings over the phone (although I booked on the phone three weeks in advance after being unable to get a booking online - so be sure to try your luck, you don’t ask, you don’t get right?). To book, visit their website here and follow the link for Open Table.

The staff were incredibly flexible and moved my booking a couple of times. Of course, as we are limited by numbers due to COVID-19, the restrictions on booking may change.

All in all we had a relaxed and really enjoyable time. We did outstay our welcome, since you are able to hold your table for two hours, but they kindly allowed us to stay a little longer and also offered an area for drinks after the next booking arrived. Staff were friendly and courteous. All in all a great celebration, with good food, good drinks and fabulous company. OVERALL 8/10